‘Love Is Blind’s Dave and Madison Competed for Everything but a Partner
Now three episode-dumps deep, we’ve learned that some individuals were simply not meant for this experiment. The reality of the Love Is Blind experiment is that it goes beyond the pods. You either find your forever person or not, but once they’re back on their home turf, their phones are back, and the ability to meet the other members of the Pod Squad is a reality, the experiment keeps going.
Both David Bettenburg and Madison Errichiello proved that they were never meant for this pressure cooker as their red flags were flapping in the wind more than anyone else. And, by exposing their insecurities, fears, and baggage, they pushed everyone away. No, literally everyone. At the highly anticipated Pod Squad meet-up, the series showcased only a piecemeal of the highlights for both participants as there were continuing storylines to follow. But what Dave and Madison’s performance at the meet-up proved, they are both hoping to win the title of Love Is Blind Villain of the Season.
Dave Doesn’t Quite Get It on ‘Love Is Blind’
To the surprise of no one, Dave and Lauren O’Brien split up. With the vagueness of the mystery man looming over their relationship, it was destined for failure. But even after the fairly amicable split, watching Dave with his tail between his legs eager to earn sympathy was nauseating. For Dave to play Lauren, then try to force her to dump him, was not cool. At the Pod Squad meet-up, of course they were both going to be present. Lauren shared her story with Molly Mullaney, who understood and empathized with her. Molly knew Dave was in the wrong about how he treated her, using his family as an excuse. So when Dave finally got his chance to meet Molly, something he had previously teased excitement about, he hoped for sympathy. He received the opposite. She told him how it was and made him realize how foolish he was.
Never have we ever seen a Pod Squad member give such a masterclass. Molly not only defended Lauren to the bitter end, she sat there and put Dave in his place. Perhaps he is someone who is used to getting everything he wants. At that moment, the only thing he received was a helping of humble pie. But to make matters even worse for himself, he somehow misinterprets his lashing as a “go win back Lauren” boost. It was anything but. Dave is so self-involved, his inability to understand how the world doesn’t revolve around him proves he’s just not someone who is ready to take these massive steps in love. There was certainly a moment where we were on the edge of our seats pondering if Lauren might make the awful decision to take him back. Instead, she stood strong in his convictions and ensured that man get a dose of reality. Boy did David spend his final episode on the series eating all those words.
Madison Was Beyond Bitter
Image via Netflix
Time to discuss the newly pink-haired Madison. She, meanwhile, took her Pod Squad reunion to try to play the victim card, but she, again, simply looked foolish. Sporting her fabulous new hair, she believed arriving early was to her benefit. She attempted to paint Alex Brown, her former podmance, in a poor light for thinking she could be wrong. Ever. Not that she was bitter to leave the experiment alone. She laid out that he allegedly DM’d her after getting his phone back, where he allegedly regretted his decision because of her appearance. Up until the moment he walked into the room, she chewed off everyone’s ear to make him look horrible. Certainly we’d hear his recanting of this anecdote, but alas, we can’t have nice things this season.
This was all, of course, after she mocked Meg Fink and Mason Horacek, who eventually paired up after the experiment. They liked their connection, decided to be friends, and allowed it to flourish. As normal couples do in the real world, sans pods. Madison didn’t like that anyone could possibly find love, especially Mason, so she tried to bash them as well. But this is Love Is Blind. With the exception of maybe Season 6’s Jeramey Lutinski and Sarah Ann Bick, when new couples emerge, it’s a celebration. Madison’s final display was truly a character killer. It was unsavory and unnecessary. Madison went from central character on episode one to leading advisory in the very end.
Dave and Madison are so drastically different, yet cut from the same cloth. Their selfishness elevated them to villain status. They seemed to have walked away from the experiment being dismayed by everything they went through. The other pod squad members had negative takes on them, and yet they lacked the understanding that they were the worst in their given situations. David’s treatment of Lauren in its aftermath was vile. Madison’s bashing of three others who have moved on was feble. They are both villains, but it’s really hard to determine who was worse.
